AIRBORNE MODELS in Livermore,
California, is the US distributor for The
World Models (TWM). A subsidiary of Radar
Limited, TWM is one of the leading Asian
producers of top-quality ARFs and
accessories. TWM has developed a reputation
for producing ARFs that have a capacity for
performance, and AirBorne Models sees that
they are offered at prices that American RC
pilots find attractive.
The North American AT-6 Texan
is a popular modeling subject, and
TWM wisely chose to add it to its stable
of World War II fighters. With good
nose and tail moments, plenty of wing
area, and ample control-surface area, this
model has proved to be a good fit for most
intermediate sport and fun-scale fliers.
TWM offers the AT-6 in a 72-inchwingspan
version for glow power and a
44-inch version for electric power. Both come
with a long list of great features, including factorybuilt,
laser-cut wooden airframe components; factorypainted
fiberglass cowls; complete hardware and fastener
packages; and factory-installed, retractable main landing gear.
These Texans are models of full-scale military trainers, but they
are not to be considered primary RC trainers themselves. They are
low-wing, aerobatics-capable airplanes that are best suited for RC
pilots who have experience with at least one or two models.
TWM assumes that those who purchase their AT-6s are RC pilots
who have already built a model or two; therefore, the instruction
manuals rely primarily on diagrams and symbols to guide assembly.
The instructions present no problems unless a rank beginner is
interpreting them, and no rank beginner should be attempting to fly
either of these aircraft.
Both models’ assembly goes quickly because of
their extensive prefabrication. Since these ARFs’
building processes are similar, I’ll provide you with a
simple outline that covers both airplanes.
The larger model requires a four-stroke engine in
the .90-1.00 range, and the EP version is available
with a KM0283010 Brushless Outrunner Motor
and matching HW2340100 propeller adapter
from TWM. I chose the Saito FA-100GK
(Golden Knight) for the nitro-powered Texan
and used the kit-supplied motor for the EP.
I programmed two slots in my 2.4 GHz JR
12X transmitter for these models and then selected suitable onboard
RC gear for both. The nitro AT-6 uses six standard-size servos and
one low-profile retract servo. I filled that bill with six Spektrum
DS821 digital servos and one JR NES-791 180° retract servo. The EP
aircraft needs five microservos, and I picked a set of E-flite S75 units
for the job.
Spektrum handles the receiving end of the signals in these ARFs,
with a seven-channel AR7000 in the nitro Texan and an AR6200 in
the EP. Each receiver is a two-piece combination: the primary
unit with one remote receiver.
I added the appropriate servo extensions and Y
harnesses, along with a JR charge jack switch and a JR
Extra 1800 mAh battery for the nitro model. I
equipped the EP AT-6 with a TWM 20-amp
brushless speed control and 3S 2100 mAh
battery.
The EP airplane comes with a factory-assembled,
one-piece wing, while the nitro version requires that the two tip panels
be installed with 30-minute epoxy on the center-section. In both
models, the aileron and retract servos are the first items to be installed.
Instead of having to drill and mount wooden uprights on the servo
covers, the nitro Texan’s uprights are molded into its plastic covers.
The EP AT-6 gives you a selection of drilled uprights that attach to
the covers with thin CA adhesive.
Both models come with factory-installed,
retractable landing gear, and the pushrods
from the gear to the servos are also factory
installed. Pushrod connectors are provided to
link the rods to the servo output arms, and a
minimal amount of fiddling is needed to get
the linkage adjusted and the gear transitioning
perfectly from lock to lock.
Remember that the retract servos are 180°
units, so the travel adjustments in the
transmitter will have no effect on the servo;
you must get it right at the linkage end. The
S75 servo in my EP Texan is not a 180°
servo, so the travel programming can be used
to perfect the installation.
There are no flaps on the EP model, but
the nitro version is equipped with three-piece
split flaps. They consist of one full-span flap
across the center-section and one flap running
from the root to the inboard end of the aileron
on each of the two tip sections.
A standard servo handles the flap
operation, with a short length of music wire
running between the flaps at the centersection
and each wingtip section. The wires
that connect the flaps between the sections are
free-floating and prevent binding at the
dihedral joints.
The nitro Texan’s tail surfaces are selfaligning.
The one-piece horizontal stabilizer,
with its factory-hinged elevators, is glued into
the recess in the rear of the fuselage. The
rectangular stud on the stabilizer’s fin
mounting area mates with a cavity under the
fin, and the fin’s TE post fits into the recess at
the fuselage tail.
Again, 30-minute epoxy is my adhesive of
choice. I held the fin in position with 3M tape
while the Hangar 9 glue cured.
The EP ARF is slightly different at the tail;
the stabilizer fits into a slot in the rear of the
fuselage. The stabilizer is not self-aligning but
is easy to eyeball if you temporarily attach the
elevator panel. Use the eyeball method for
rough positioning, and finalize it with careful
measuring before securing the stabilizer,
which I did with thin CA.
Instead of the usual music-wire joiner, a
cleverly designed fitting is used to join the
elevator panels. This plastic piece clamps over
each elevator panel and is secured with a
single wood screw on each side. Elevator
control is built into the fitting, which greatly
simplifies the whole procedure.
The EP model’s fin is entirely selfaligning,
with a tab on the bottom that slips
into its respective slot on the fuselage, above
the stabilizer. Now the control surfaces can be
attached with thin CA on the hinges.
With the wings prepared and the tail
surfaces mounted, you can install both AT-6s’
elevator and rudder servos. The nitro version
gets another servo for throttle, while the EP
version gets a TWM 20-amp brushless speed
control.
Nylon guide tubes for the elevator and
rudder pushrods come installed in both
models’ fuselages. Music-wire pushrods run
through the guides. Each rod uses a threaded
nylon clevis at the surface end, and the builder
makes an L-bend at the servo end. A simple
nylon keeper holds the pushrod to the servo
output arm. Everything fits easily in the RC
bay.
The included plastic mount simplifies the
EP Texan’s motor installation. TWM
components do not come with connectors, so
they must be soldered on before installation. I
used W.S. Deans Ultra Connectors for the
battery-to-ESC link and E-flite connectors for
the motor-to-ESC link.
Connect the ESC to the motor, and secure
it to the inside of the fuselage with hook-andloop
strips. Four screws secure the motor to
the mount, and four more screws fasten the
mount to the firewall.
A fully adjustable mount is provided for
the nitro Texan. But instead of merely bolting
the engine over the mount, the power plant’s
mounting lugs are fitted with antivibration
mounts that are, in turn, bolted to the mount.
That is an extra quality touch for an ARF
and is further complemented by the ability to
install the mount to result in an upright,
inverted, or side-mounted engine position. I
chose the latter for three reasons: it keeps the
needle close to the fuel tank level, it keeps the
muffler toward the bottom of the airplane, and
it keeps the glow plug accessible without
having to reach under the model.
Both AT-6s come with factory-painted
fiberglass cowls that closely match the TWM
film covering. No cutting is needed for the EP
airplane’s cowl.
Fitting the nitro cowl is aided by a twopiece,
clear-plastic dummy cowl that lets you
do all the cutting and fitting on a throwaway
part before transferring the marks to the real
cowl. Very nice.
Adding the extra detail parts completes the
models. These include landing gear doors, oil
cooler scoops, and military markings that you
cut from each package’s adhesive-backed
graphics sheet.
A threaded, aluminum spinner cone fits
over the nitro airplane’s crankshaft, and a
folding propeller assembly with a plastic
spinner cone is installed on the EP version’s
propeller adapter. Total assembly time was
less than four hours for the EP AT-6 and
roughly 15 hours for the nitro Texan.
Using a Y connector instead of assigning a
separate channel for each aileron kept
programming time to a minimum with my JR
12X transmitter. I set all control surfaces to
the throws in the manual at high rate, with
25% for my starting rate of exponential.
The 12X has triple-rate elevator, rudder,
and aileron features, so I dropped the mid rate
to 80% and the low rate to 65. I use Great
Planes’ C.G. Machine to set the CG at 76mm
behind the LE for the EP Texan and 135mm
for the nitro AT-6—exactly where the
manuals called it.
Flight: Flying these models is rewarding—
and fun. Takeoff at my local field is from a
grass runway, where both airplanes’ taxis and
rollouts proved to be as solid as they were
predictable. Despite their differences in size
and power, these Texans behave similarly in
flight. I flew the EP ARF, followed by the
nitro version several days later.
The EP aircraft broke ground smoothly
with a slight touch of up-elevator. No more
than a few bumps of down-trim were needed
to get it tracking nicely in the pitch axis. Roll
and yaw seemed fine hands-off, and a few
inside loops into the wind showed me that
there was no need for yaw correction.
The nitro Texan behaved almost identical
to the EP version, with the same smooth
rollout and liftoff, and even greater stability
and groove once airborne.
A Texan is not a wild aerobat, but a good
model AT-6 should be capable of clean and
convincing scale like maneuvering. Both
TWM models do that well. They are highly
convincing in flight and can elevate an
intermediate pilot’s perceived talent status and
self-confidence.
Seventeen-year-old Phillip Adams is the
hotshot 3-D pilot in my neighborhood, and he
was kind enough to join me for a few flights
with both Texans. His talent was essential for
putting the models where I needed them for
my in-flight photographs and to confirm my
positive impressions of their performance.
Furthermore, Phillip tried a few maneuvers
that were outside of my comfort zone, proving
that these ARFs are better suited for
intermediate sport pilots than hot 3-D fliers’
demands.
Inside and outside loops are wide, and the
roll rate is believable at the factoryrecommended
throws. I encourage you to trust
and maintain the recommended throws, even
though they may seem to be somewhat short.
This is a fun-scale warbird, and one of the best
ways to exclude violent snaps from the envelope
is to keep elevator travel under control.
The recommended throws also keep these
70 MODEL AVIATION
models behaving like airplanes, in which
violent maneuvering wouldn’t cause
unconsciousness if living pilots were in the
cockpits. Increasing the rudder might improve
knife-edge flight, which is anything but
appropriate or necessary in a Texan, but it will
surely increase the likelihood of poor handling
on the ground.
I had a lot of fun playing with the split
flaps on the nitro model, which I programmed
to the three-position flap switch on the 12X.
Full up is in the top position, half down (1/2
inch with 5° of down-elevator compensation
in the mix) is in the center position, and fulldown
(1 inch with 10° of down-elevator mix)
is in the down position.
I experimented with these settings at
altitude, finding that slightly more downelevator
was needed to keep the nose level
when the flaps were extended. The flaps are a
nice addition, and they let the Texan leave the
ground in a shorter distance. They also allow
for slow and realistic flypasts and shorter
landing approaches.
Landing these Texans is a pleasure. They
can slow to a crawl without snapping, as long
as you go easy on the elevator.
Once lined up for final approach, set the
models for a low-power glide toward the
runway, using the throttle to bring them up to
the threshold. Get the main wheels on the
ground, reduce power, let the tails drop, and
roll out. Taxi in, shut down, and turn it all off.
You’re home.
It’s good when a model goes together easily
and performs well, and it’s even better when
you get all of that for a reasonable price. These
airplanes meet those conditions, and, as do all
of AirBorne Models’ TWM products, the nitro
and EP Texans’ price tags read low. I think
you will be pleased by how much model you
get for your money. MA
Jeff Troy
[email protected]
Manufacturer/Distributor:
AirBorne Models, LLC
2403 Research Dr.
Livermore CA 94550
(925) 371-0922
www.airborne-models.com
Sources:
Saito, Spektrum, JR, Hangar 9:
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Du-Bro Products, Inc.
(800) 848-9411
www.dubro.com
3M
(888) 364-3577
www.3m.com
W.S. Deans
(714) 828-6494
www.wsdeans.com
Great Planes
(800) 637-7660
www.greatplanes.com
02sig3_00MSTRPG.QXD 12/21/09 11:13 AM Page 70
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/02
Page Numbers: 66,67,68,69,70
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/02
Page Numbers: 66,67,68,69,70
AIRBORNE MODELS in Livermore,
California, is the US distributor for The
World Models (TWM). A subsidiary of Radar
Limited, TWM is one of the leading Asian
producers of top-quality ARFs and
accessories. TWM has developed a reputation
for producing ARFs that have a capacity for
performance, and AirBorne Models sees that
they are offered at prices that American RC
pilots find attractive.
The North American AT-6 Texan
is a popular modeling subject, and
TWM wisely chose to add it to its stable
of World War II fighters. With good
nose and tail moments, plenty of wing
area, and ample control-surface area, this
model has proved to be a good fit for most
intermediate sport and fun-scale fliers.
TWM offers the AT-6 in a 72-inchwingspan
version for glow power and a
44-inch version for electric power. Both come
with a long list of great features, including factorybuilt,
laser-cut wooden airframe components; factorypainted
fiberglass cowls; complete hardware and fastener
packages; and factory-installed, retractable main landing gear.
These Texans are models of full-scale military trainers, but they
are not to be considered primary RC trainers themselves. They are
low-wing, aerobatics-capable airplanes that are best suited for RC
pilots who have experience with at least one or two models.
TWM assumes that those who purchase their AT-6s are RC pilots
who have already built a model or two; therefore, the instruction
manuals rely primarily on diagrams and symbols to guide assembly.
The instructions present no problems unless a rank beginner is
interpreting them, and no rank beginner should be attempting to fly
either of these aircraft.
Both models’ assembly goes quickly because of
their extensive prefabrication. Since these ARFs’
building processes are similar, I’ll provide you with a
simple outline that covers both airplanes.
The larger model requires a four-stroke engine in
the .90-1.00 range, and the EP version is available
with a KM0283010 Brushless Outrunner Motor
and matching HW2340100 propeller adapter
from TWM. I chose the Saito FA-100GK
(Golden Knight) for the nitro-powered Texan
and used the kit-supplied motor for the EP.
I programmed two slots in my 2.4 GHz JR
12X transmitter for these models and then selected suitable onboard
RC gear for both. The nitro AT-6 uses six standard-size servos and
one low-profile retract servo. I filled that bill with six Spektrum
DS821 digital servos and one JR NES-791 180° retract servo. The EP
aircraft needs five microservos, and I picked a set of E-flite S75 units
for the job.
Spektrum handles the receiving end of the signals in these ARFs,
with a seven-channel AR7000 in the nitro Texan and an AR6200 in
the EP. Each receiver is a two-piece combination: the primary
unit with one remote receiver.
I added the appropriate servo extensions and Y
harnesses, along with a JR charge jack switch and a JR
Extra 1800 mAh battery for the nitro model. I
equipped the EP AT-6 with a TWM 20-amp
brushless speed control and 3S 2100 mAh
battery.
The EP airplane comes with a factory-assembled,
one-piece wing, while the nitro version requires that the two tip panels
be installed with 30-minute epoxy on the center-section. In both
models, the aileron and retract servos are the first items to be installed.
Instead of having to drill and mount wooden uprights on the servo
covers, the nitro Texan’s uprights are molded into its plastic covers.
The EP AT-6 gives you a selection of drilled uprights that attach to
the covers with thin CA adhesive.
Both models come with factory-installed,
retractable landing gear, and the pushrods
from the gear to the servos are also factory
installed. Pushrod connectors are provided to
link the rods to the servo output arms, and a
minimal amount of fiddling is needed to get
the linkage adjusted and the gear transitioning
perfectly from lock to lock.
Remember that the retract servos are 180°
units, so the travel adjustments in the
transmitter will have no effect on the servo;
you must get it right at the linkage end. The
S75 servo in my EP Texan is not a 180°
servo, so the travel programming can be used
to perfect the installation.
There are no flaps on the EP model, but
the nitro version is equipped with three-piece
split flaps. They consist of one full-span flap
across the center-section and one flap running
from the root to the inboard end of the aileron
on each of the two tip sections.
A standard servo handles the flap
operation, with a short length of music wire
running between the flaps at the centersection
and each wingtip section. The wires
that connect the flaps between the sections are
free-floating and prevent binding at the
dihedral joints.
The nitro Texan’s tail surfaces are selfaligning.
The one-piece horizontal stabilizer,
with its factory-hinged elevators, is glued into
the recess in the rear of the fuselage. The
rectangular stud on the stabilizer’s fin
mounting area mates with a cavity under the
fin, and the fin’s TE post fits into the recess at
the fuselage tail.
Again, 30-minute epoxy is my adhesive of
choice. I held the fin in position with 3M tape
while the Hangar 9 glue cured.
The EP ARF is slightly different at the tail;
the stabilizer fits into a slot in the rear of the
fuselage. The stabilizer is not self-aligning but
is easy to eyeball if you temporarily attach the
elevator panel. Use the eyeball method for
rough positioning, and finalize it with careful
measuring before securing the stabilizer,
which I did with thin CA.
Instead of the usual music-wire joiner, a
cleverly designed fitting is used to join the
elevator panels. This plastic piece clamps over
each elevator panel and is secured with a
single wood screw on each side. Elevator
control is built into the fitting, which greatly
simplifies the whole procedure.
The EP model’s fin is entirely selfaligning,
with a tab on the bottom that slips
into its respective slot on the fuselage, above
the stabilizer. Now the control surfaces can be
attached with thin CA on the hinges.
With the wings prepared and the tail
surfaces mounted, you can install both AT-6s’
elevator and rudder servos. The nitro version
gets another servo for throttle, while the EP
version gets a TWM 20-amp brushless speed
control.
Nylon guide tubes for the elevator and
rudder pushrods come installed in both
models’ fuselages. Music-wire pushrods run
through the guides. Each rod uses a threaded
nylon clevis at the surface end, and the builder
makes an L-bend at the servo end. A simple
nylon keeper holds the pushrod to the servo
output arm. Everything fits easily in the RC
bay.
The included plastic mount simplifies the
EP Texan’s motor installation. TWM
components do not come with connectors, so
they must be soldered on before installation. I
used W.S. Deans Ultra Connectors for the
battery-to-ESC link and E-flite connectors for
the motor-to-ESC link.
Connect the ESC to the motor, and secure
it to the inside of the fuselage with hook-andloop
strips. Four screws secure the motor to
the mount, and four more screws fasten the
mount to the firewall.
A fully adjustable mount is provided for
the nitro Texan. But instead of merely bolting
the engine over the mount, the power plant’s
mounting lugs are fitted with antivibration
mounts that are, in turn, bolted to the mount.
That is an extra quality touch for an ARF
and is further complemented by the ability to
install the mount to result in an upright,
inverted, or side-mounted engine position. I
chose the latter for three reasons: it keeps the
needle close to the fuel tank level, it keeps the
muffler toward the bottom of the airplane, and
it keeps the glow plug accessible without
having to reach under the model.
Both AT-6s come with factory-painted
fiberglass cowls that closely match the TWM
film covering. No cutting is needed for the EP
airplane’s cowl.
Fitting the nitro cowl is aided by a twopiece,
clear-plastic dummy cowl that lets you
do all the cutting and fitting on a throwaway
part before transferring the marks to the real
cowl. Very nice.
Adding the extra detail parts completes the
models. These include landing gear doors, oil
cooler scoops, and military markings that you
cut from each package’s adhesive-backed
graphics sheet.
A threaded, aluminum spinner cone fits
over the nitro airplane’s crankshaft, and a
folding propeller assembly with a plastic
spinner cone is installed on the EP version’s
propeller adapter. Total assembly time was
less than four hours for the EP AT-6 and
roughly 15 hours for the nitro Texan.
Using a Y connector instead of assigning a
separate channel for each aileron kept
programming time to a minimum with my JR
12X transmitter. I set all control surfaces to
the throws in the manual at high rate, with
25% for my starting rate of exponential.
The 12X has triple-rate elevator, rudder,
and aileron features, so I dropped the mid rate
to 80% and the low rate to 65. I use Great
Planes’ C.G. Machine to set the CG at 76mm
behind the LE for the EP Texan and 135mm
for the nitro AT-6—exactly where the
manuals called it.
Flight: Flying these models is rewarding—
and fun. Takeoff at my local field is from a
grass runway, where both airplanes’ taxis and
rollouts proved to be as solid as they were
predictable. Despite their differences in size
and power, these Texans behave similarly in
flight. I flew the EP ARF, followed by the
nitro version several days later.
The EP aircraft broke ground smoothly
with a slight touch of up-elevator. No more
than a few bumps of down-trim were needed
to get it tracking nicely in the pitch axis. Roll
and yaw seemed fine hands-off, and a few
inside loops into the wind showed me that
there was no need for yaw correction.
The nitro Texan behaved almost identical
to the EP version, with the same smooth
rollout and liftoff, and even greater stability
and groove once airborne.
A Texan is not a wild aerobat, but a good
model AT-6 should be capable of clean and
convincing scale like maneuvering. Both
TWM models do that well. They are highly
convincing in flight and can elevate an
intermediate pilot’s perceived talent status and
self-confidence.
Seventeen-year-old Phillip Adams is the
hotshot 3-D pilot in my neighborhood, and he
was kind enough to join me for a few flights
with both Texans. His talent was essential for
putting the models where I needed them for
my in-flight photographs and to confirm my
positive impressions of their performance.
Furthermore, Phillip tried a few maneuvers
that were outside of my comfort zone, proving
that these ARFs are better suited for
intermediate sport pilots than hot 3-D fliers’
demands.
Inside and outside loops are wide, and the
roll rate is believable at the factoryrecommended
throws. I encourage you to trust
and maintain the recommended throws, even
though they may seem to be somewhat short.
This is a fun-scale warbird, and one of the best
ways to exclude violent snaps from the envelope
is to keep elevator travel under control.
The recommended throws also keep these
70 MODEL AVIATION
models behaving like airplanes, in which
violent maneuvering wouldn’t cause
unconsciousness if living pilots were in the
cockpits. Increasing the rudder might improve
knife-edge flight, which is anything but
appropriate or necessary in a Texan, but it will
surely increase the likelihood of poor handling
on the ground.
I had a lot of fun playing with the split
flaps on the nitro model, which I programmed
to the three-position flap switch on the 12X.
Full up is in the top position, half down (1/2
inch with 5° of down-elevator compensation
in the mix) is in the center position, and fulldown
(1 inch with 10° of down-elevator mix)
is in the down position.
I experimented with these settings at
altitude, finding that slightly more downelevator
was needed to keep the nose level
when the flaps were extended. The flaps are a
nice addition, and they let the Texan leave the
ground in a shorter distance. They also allow
for slow and realistic flypasts and shorter
landing approaches.
Landing these Texans is a pleasure. They
can slow to a crawl without snapping, as long
as you go easy on the elevator.
Once lined up for final approach, set the
models for a low-power glide toward the
runway, using the throttle to bring them up to
the threshold. Get the main wheels on the
ground, reduce power, let the tails drop, and
roll out. Taxi in, shut down, and turn it all off.
You’re home.
It’s good when a model goes together easily
and performs well, and it’s even better when
you get all of that for a reasonable price. These
airplanes meet those conditions, and, as do all
of AirBorne Models’ TWM products, the nitro
and EP Texans’ price tags read low. I think
you will be pleased by how much model you
get for your money. MA
Jeff Troy
[email protected]
Manufacturer/Distributor:
AirBorne Models, LLC
2403 Research Dr.
Livermore CA 94550
(925) 371-0922
www.airborne-models.com
Sources:
Saito, Spektrum, JR, Hangar 9:
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Du-Bro Products, Inc.
(800) 848-9411
www.dubro.com
3M
(888) 364-3577
www.3m.com
W.S. Deans
(714) 828-6494
www.wsdeans.com
Great Planes
(800) 637-7660
www.greatplanes.com
02sig3_00MSTRPG.QXD 12/21/09 11:13 AM Page 70
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/02
Page Numbers: 66,67,68,69,70
AIRBORNE MODELS in Livermore,
California, is the US distributor for The
World Models (TWM). A subsidiary of Radar
Limited, TWM is one of the leading Asian
producers of top-quality ARFs and
accessories. TWM has developed a reputation
for producing ARFs that have a capacity for
performance, and AirBorne Models sees that
they are offered at prices that American RC
pilots find attractive.
The North American AT-6 Texan
is a popular modeling subject, and
TWM wisely chose to add it to its stable
of World War II fighters. With good
nose and tail moments, plenty of wing
area, and ample control-surface area, this
model has proved to be a good fit for most
intermediate sport and fun-scale fliers.
TWM offers the AT-6 in a 72-inchwingspan
version for glow power and a
44-inch version for electric power. Both come
with a long list of great features, including factorybuilt,
laser-cut wooden airframe components; factorypainted
fiberglass cowls; complete hardware and fastener
packages; and factory-installed, retractable main landing gear.
These Texans are models of full-scale military trainers, but they
are not to be considered primary RC trainers themselves. They are
low-wing, aerobatics-capable airplanes that are best suited for RC
pilots who have experience with at least one or two models.
TWM assumes that those who purchase their AT-6s are RC pilots
who have already built a model or two; therefore, the instruction
manuals rely primarily on diagrams and symbols to guide assembly.
The instructions present no problems unless a rank beginner is
interpreting them, and no rank beginner should be attempting to fly
either of these aircraft.
Both models’ assembly goes quickly because of
their extensive prefabrication. Since these ARFs’
building processes are similar, I’ll provide you with a
simple outline that covers both airplanes.
The larger model requires a four-stroke engine in
the .90-1.00 range, and the EP version is available
with a KM0283010 Brushless Outrunner Motor
and matching HW2340100 propeller adapter
from TWM. I chose the Saito FA-100GK
(Golden Knight) for the nitro-powered Texan
and used the kit-supplied motor for the EP.
I programmed two slots in my 2.4 GHz JR
12X transmitter for these models and then selected suitable onboard
RC gear for both. The nitro AT-6 uses six standard-size servos and
one low-profile retract servo. I filled that bill with six Spektrum
DS821 digital servos and one JR NES-791 180° retract servo. The EP
aircraft needs five microservos, and I picked a set of E-flite S75 units
for the job.
Spektrum handles the receiving end of the signals in these ARFs,
with a seven-channel AR7000 in the nitro Texan and an AR6200 in
the EP. Each receiver is a two-piece combination: the primary
unit with one remote receiver.
I added the appropriate servo extensions and Y
harnesses, along with a JR charge jack switch and a JR
Extra 1800 mAh battery for the nitro model. I
equipped the EP AT-6 with a TWM 20-amp
brushless speed control and 3S 2100 mAh
battery.
The EP airplane comes with a factory-assembled,
one-piece wing, while the nitro version requires that the two tip panels
be installed with 30-minute epoxy on the center-section. In both
models, the aileron and retract servos are the first items to be installed.
Instead of having to drill and mount wooden uprights on the servo
covers, the nitro Texan’s uprights are molded into its plastic covers.
The EP AT-6 gives you a selection of drilled uprights that attach to
the covers with thin CA adhesive.
Both models come with factory-installed,
retractable landing gear, and the pushrods
from the gear to the servos are also factory
installed. Pushrod connectors are provided to
link the rods to the servo output arms, and a
minimal amount of fiddling is needed to get
the linkage adjusted and the gear transitioning
perfectly from lock to lock.
Remember that the retract servos are 180°
units, so the travel adjustments in the
transmitter will have no effect on the servo;
you must get it right at the linkage end. The
S75 servo in my EP Texan is not a 180°
servo, so the travel programming can be used
to perfect the installation.
There are no flaps on the EP model, but
the nitro version is equipped with three-piece
split flaps. They consist of one full-span flap
across the center-section and one flap running
from the root to the inboard end of the aileron
on each of the two tip sections.
A standard servo handles the flap
operation, with a short length of music wire
running between the flaps at the centersection
and each wingtip section. The wires
that connect the flaps between the sections are
free-floating and prevent binding at the
dihedral joints.
The nitro Texan’s tail surfaces are selfaligning.
The one-piece horizontal stabilizer,
with its factory-hinged elevators, is glued into
the recess in the rear of the fuselage. The
rectangular stud on the stabilizer’s fin
mounting area mates with a cavity under the
fin, and the fin’s TE post fits into the recess at
the fuselage tail.
Again, 30-minute epoxy is my adhesive of
choice. I held the fin in position with 3M tape
while the Hangar 9 glue cured.
The EP ARF is slightly different at the tail;
the stabilizer fits into a slot in the rear of the
fuselage. The stabilizer is not self-aligning but
is easy to eyeball if you temporarily attach the
elevator panel. Use the eyeball method for
rough positioning, and finalize it with careful
measuring before securing the stabilizer,
which I did with thin CA.
Instead of the usual music-wire joiner, a
cleverly designed fitting is used to join the
elevator panels. This plastic piece clamps over
each elevator panel and is secured with a
single wood screw on each side. Elevator
control is built into the fitting, which greatly
simplifies the whole procedure.
The EP model’s fin is entirely selfaligning,
with a tab on the bottom that slips
into its respective slot on the fuselage, above
the stabilizer. Now the control surfaces can be
attached with thin CA on the hinges.
With the wings prepared and the tail
surfaces mounted, you can install both AT-6s’
elevator and rudder servos. The nitro version
gets another servo for throttle, while the EP
version gets a TWM 20-amp brushless speed
control.
Nylon guide tubes for the elevator and
rudder pushrods come installed in both
models’ fuselages. Music-wire pushrods run
through the guides. Each rod uses a threaded
nylon clevis at the surface end, and the builder
makes an L-bend at the servo end. A simple
nylon keeper holds the pushrod to the servo
output arm. Everything fits easily in the RC
bay.
The included plastic mount simplifies the
EP Texan’s motor installation. TWM
components do not come with connectors, so
they must be soldered on before installation. I
used W.S. Deans Ultra Connectors for the
battery-to-ESC link and E-flite connectors for
the motor-to-ESC link.
Connect the ESC to the motor, and secure
it to the inside of the fuselage with hook-andloop
strips. Four screws secure the motor to
the mount, and four more screws fasten the
mount to the firewall.
A fully adjustable mount is provided for
the nitro Texan. But instead of merely bolting
the engine over the mount, the power plant’s
mounting lugs are fitted with antivibration
mounts that are, in turn, bolted to the mount.
That is an extra quality touch for an ARF
and is further complemented by the ability to
install the mount to result in an upright,
inverted, or side-mounted engine position. I
chose the latter for three reasons: it keeps the
needle close to the fuel tank level, it keeps the
muffler toward the bottom of the airplane, and
it keeps the glow plug accessible without
having to reach under the model.
Both AT-6s come with factory-painted
fiberglass cowls that closely match the TWM
film covering. No cutting is needed for the EP
airplane’s cowl.
Fitting the nitro cowl is aided by a twopiece,
clear-plastic dummy cowl that lets you
do all the cutting and fitting on a throwaway
part before transferring the marks to the real
cowl. Very nice.
Adding the extra detail parts completes the
models. These include landing gear doors, oil
cooler scoops, and military markings that you
cut from each package’s adhesive-backed
graphics sheet.
A threaded, aluminum spinner cone fits
over the nitro airplane’s crankshaft, and a
folding propeller assembly with a plastic
spinner cone is installed on the EP version’s
propeller adapter. Total assembly time was
less than four hours for the EP AT-6 and
roughly 15 hours for the nitro Texan.
Using a Y connector instead of assigning a
separate channel for each aileron kept
programming time to a minimum with my JR
12X transmitter. I set all control surfaces to
the throws in the manual at high rate, with
25% for my starting rate of exponential.
The 12X has triple-rate elevator, rudder,
and aileron features, so I dropped the mid rate
to 80% and the low rate to 65. I use Great
Planes’ C.G. Machine to set the CG at 76mm
behind the LE for the EP Texan and 135mm
for the nitro AT-6—exactly where the
manuals called it.
Flight: Flying these models is rewarding—
and fun. Takeoff at my local field is from a
grass runway, where both airplanes’ taxis and
rollouts proved to be as solid as they were
predictable. Despite their differences in size
and power, these Texans behave similarly in
flight. I flew the EP ARF, followed by the
nitro version several days later.
The EP aircraft broke ground smoothly
with a slight touch of up-elevator. No more
than a few bumps of down-trim were needed
to get it tracking nicely in the pitch axis. Roll
and yaw seemed fine hands-off, and a few
inside loops into the wind showed me that
there was no need for yaw correction.
The nitro Texan behaved almost identical
to the EP version, with the same smooth
rollout and liftoff, and even greater stability
and groove once airborne.
A Texan is not a wild aerobat, but a good
model AT-6 should be capable of clean and
convincing scale like maneuvering. Both
TWM models do that well. They are highly
convincing in flight and can elevate an
intermediate pilot’s perceived talent status and
self-confidence.
Seventeen-year-old Phillip Adams is the
hotshot 3-D pilot in my neighborhood, and he
was kind enough to join me for a few flights
with both Texans. His talent was essential for
putting the models where I needed them for
my in-flight photographs and to confirm my
positive impressions of their performance.
Furthermore, Phillip tried a few maneuvers
that were outside of my comfort zone, proving
that these ARFs are better suited for
intermediate sport pilots than hot 3-D fliers’
demands.
Inside and outside loops are wide, and the
roll rate is believable at the factoryrecommended
throws. I encourage you to trust
and maintain the recommended throws, even
though they may seem to be somewhat short.
This is a fun-scale warbird, and one of the best
ways to exclude violent snaps from the envelope
is to keep elevator travel under control.
The recommended throws also keep these
70 MODEL AVIATION
models behaving like airplanes, in which
violent maneuvering wouldn’t cause
unconsciousness if living pilots were in the
cockpits. Increasing the rudder might improve
knife-edge flight, which is anything but
appropriate or necessary in a Texan, but it will
surely increase the likelihood of poor handling
on the ground.
I had a lot of fun playing with the split
flaps on the nitro model, which I programmed
to the three-position flap switch on the 12X.
Full up is in the top position, half down (1/2
inch with 5° of down-elevator compensation
in the mix) is in the center position, and fulldown
(1 inch with 10° of down-elevator mix)
is in the down position.
I experimented with these settings at
altitude, finding that slightly more downelevator
was needed to keep the nose level
when the flaps were extended. The flaps are a
nice addition, and they let the Texan leave the
ground in a shorter distance. They also allow
for slow and realistic flypasts and shorter
landing approaches.
Landing these Texans is a pleasure. They
can slow to a crawl without snapping, as long
as you go easy on the elevator.
Once lined up for final approach, set the
models for a low-power glide toward the
runway, using the throttle to bring them up to
the threshold. Get the main wheels on the
ground, reduce power, let the tails drop, and
roll out. Taxi in, shut down, and turn it all off.
You’re home.
It’s good when a model goes together easily
and performs well, and it’s even better when
you get all of that for a reasonable price. These
airplanes meet those conditions, and, as do all
of AirBorne Models’ TWM products, the nitro
and EP Texans’ price tags read low. I think
you will be pleased by how much model you
get for your money. MA
Jeff Troy
[email protected]
Manufacturer/Distributor:
AirBorne Models, LLC
2403 Research Dr.
Livermore CA 94550
(925) 371-0922
www.airborne-models.com
Sources:
Saito, Spektrum, JR, Hangar 9:
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Du-Bro Products, Inc.
(800) 848-9411
www.dubro.com
3M
(888) 364-3577
www.3m.com
W.S. Deans
(714) 828-6494
www.wsdeans.com
Great Planes
(800) 637-7660
www.greatplanes.com
02sig3_00MSTRPG.QXD 12/21/09 11:13 AM Page 70
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/02
Page Numbers: 66,67,68,69,70
AIRBORNE MODELS in Livermore,
California, is the US distributor for The
World Models (TWM). A subsidiary of Radar
Limited, TWM is one of the leading Asian
producers of top-quality ARFs and
accessories. TWM has developed a reputation
for producing ARFs that have a capacity for
performance, and AirBorne Models sees that
they are offered at prices that American RC
pilots find attractive.
The North American AT-6 Texan
is a popular modeling subject, and
TWM wisely chose to add it to its stable
of World War II fighters. With good
nose and tail moments, plenty of wing
area, and ample control-surface area, this
model has proved to be a good fit for most
intermediate sport and fun-scale fliers.
TWM offers the AT-6 in a 72-inchwingspan
version for glow power and a
44-inch version for electric power. Both come
with a long list of great features, including factorybuilt,
laser-cut wooden airframe components; factorypainted
fiberglass cowls; complete hardware and fastener
packages; and factory-installed, retractable main landing gear.
These Texans are models of full-scale military trainers, but they
are not to be considered primary RC trainers themselves. They are
low-wing, aerobatics-capable airplanes that are best suited for RC
pilots who have experience with at least one or two models.
TWM assumes that those who purchase their AT-6s are RC pilots
who have already built a model or two; therefore, the instruction
manuals rely primarily on diagrams and symbols to guide assembly.
The instructions present no problems unless a rank beginner is
interpreting them, and no rank beginner should be attempting to fly
either of these aircraft.
Both models’ assembly goes quickly because of
their extensive prefabrication. Since these ARFs’
building processes are similar, I’ll provide you with a
simple outline that covers both airplanes.
The larger model requires a four-stroke engine in
the .90-1.00 range, and the EP version is available
with a KM0283010 Brushless Outrunner Motor
and matching HW2340100 propeller adapter
from TWM. I chose the Saito FA-100GK
(Golden Knight) for the nitro-powered Texan
and used the kit-supplied motor for the EP.
I programmed two slots in my 2.4 GHz JR
12X transmitter for these models and then selected suitable onboard
RC gear for both. The nitro AT-6 uses six standard-size servos and
one low-profile retract servo. I filled that bill with six Spektrum
DS821 digital servos and one JR NES-791 180° retract servo. The EP
aircraft needs five microservos, and I picked a set of E-flite S75 units
for the job.
Spektrum handles the receiving end of the signals in these ARFs,
with a seven-channel AR7000 in the nitro Texan and an AR6200 in
the EP. Each receiver is a two-piece combination: the primary
unit with one remote receiver.
I added the appropriate servo extensions and Y
harnesses, along with a JR charge jack switch and a JR
Extra 1800 mAh battery for the nitro model. I
equipped the EP AT-6 with a TWM 20-amp
brushless speed control and 3S 2100 mAh
battery.
The EP airplane comes with a factory-assembled,
one-piece wing, while the nitro version requires that the two tip panels
be installed with 30-minute epoxy on the center-section. In both
models, the aileron and retract servos are the first items to be installed.
Instead of having to drill and mount wooden uprights on the servo
covers, the nitro Texan’s uprights are molded into its plastic covers.
The EP AT-6 gives you a selection of drilled uprights that attach to
the covers with thin CA adhesive.
Both models come with factory-installed,
retractable landing gear, and the pushrods
from the gear to the servos are also factory
installed. Pushrod connectors are provided to
link the rods to the servo output arms, and a
minimal amount of fiddling is needed to get
the linkage adjusted and the gear transitioning
perfectly from lock to lock.
Remember that the retract servos are 180°
units, so the travel adjustments in the
transmitter will have no effect on the servo;
you must get it right at the linkage end. The
S75 servo in my EP Texan is not a 180°
servo, so the travel programming can be used
to perfect the installation.
There are no flaps on the EP model, but
the nitro version is equipped with three-piece
split flaps. They consist of one full-span flap
across the center-section and one flap running
from the root to the inboard end of the aileron
on each of the two tip sections.
A standard servo handles the flap
operation, with a short length of music wire
running between the flaps at the centersection
and each wingtip section. The wires
that connect the flaps between the sections are
free-floating and prevent binding at the
dihedral joints.
The nitro Texan’s tail surfaces are selfaligning.
The one-piece horizontal stabilizer,
with its factory-hinged elevators, is glued into
the recess in the rear of the fuselage. The
rectangular stud on the stabilizer’s fin
mounting area mates with a cavity under the
fin, and the fin’s TE post fits into the recess at
the fuselage tail.
Again, 30-minute epoxy is my adhesive of
choice. I held the fin in position with 3M tape
while the Hangar 9 glue cured.
The EP ARF is slightly different at the tail;
the stabilizer fits into a slot in the rear of the
fuselage. The stabilizer is not self-aligning but
is easy to eyeball if you temporarily attach the
elevator panel. Use the eyeball method for
rough positioning, and finalize it with careful
measuring before securing the stabilizer,
which I did with thin CA.
Instead of the usual music-wire joiner, a
cleverly designed fitting is used to join the
elevator panels. This plastic piece clamps over
each elevator panel and is secured with a
single wood screw on each side. Elevator
control is built into the fitting, which greatly
simplifies the whole procedure.
The EP model’s fin is entirely selfaligning,
with a tab on the bottom that slips
into its respective slot on the fuselage, above
the stabilizer. Now the control surfaces can be
attached with thin CA on the hinges.
With the wings prepared and the tail
surfaces mounted, you can install both AT-6s’
elevator and rudder servos. The nitro version
gets another servo for throttle, while the EP
version gets a TWM 20-amp brushless speed
control.
Nylon guide tubes for the elevator and
rudder pushrods come installed in both
models’ fuselages. Music-wire pushrods run
through the guides. Each rod uses a threaded
nylon clevis at the surface end, and the builder
makes an L-bend at the servo end. A simple
nylon keeper holds the pushrod to the servo
output arm. Everything fits easily in the RC
bay.
The included plastic mount simplifies the
EP Texan’s motor installation. TWM
components do not come with connectors, so
they must be soldered on before installation. I
used W.S. Deans Ultra Connectors for the
battery-to-ESC link and E-flite connectors for
the motor-to-ESC link.
Connect the ESC to the motor, and secure
it to the inside of the fuselage with hook-andloop
strips. Four screws secure the motor to
the mount, and four more screws fasten the
mount to the firewall.
A fully adjustable mount is provided for
the nitro Texan. But instead of merely bolting
the engine over the mount, the power plant’s
mounting lugs are fitted with antivibration
mounts that are, in turn, bolted to the mount.
That is an extra quality touch for an ARF
and is further complemented by the ability to
install the mount to result in an upright,
inverted, or side-mounted engine position. I
chose the latter for three reasons: it keeps the
needle close to the fuel tank level, it keeps the
muffler toward the bottom of the airplane, and
it keeps the glow plug accessible without
having to reach under the model.
Both AT-6s come with factory-painted
fiberglass cowls that closely match the TWM
film covering. No cutting is needed for the EP
airplane’s cowl.
Fitting the nitro cowl is aided by a twopiece,
clear-plastic dummy cowl that lets you
do all the cutting and fitting on a throwaway
part before transferring the marks to the real
cowl. Very nice.
Adding the extra detail parts completes the
models. These include landing gear doors, oil
cooler scoops, and military markings that you
cut from each package’s adhesive-backed
graphics sheet.
A threaded, aluminum spinner cone fits
over the nitro airplane’s crankshaft, and a
folding propeller assembly with a plastic
spinner cone is installed on the EP version’s
propeller adapter. Total assembly time was
less than four hours for the EP AT-6 and
roughly 15 hours for the nitro Texan.
Using a Y connector instead of assigning a
separate channel for each aileron kept
programming time to a minimum with my JR
12X transmitter. I set all control surfaces to
the throws in the manual at high rate, with
25% for my starting rate of exponential.
The 12X has triple-rate elevator, rudder,
and aileron features, so I dropped the mid rate
to 80% and the low rate to 65. I use Great
Planes’ C.G. Machine to set the CG at 76mm
behind the LE for the EP Texan and 135mm
for the nitro AT-6—exactly where the
manuals called it.
Flight: Flying these models is rewarding—
and fun. Takeoff at my local field is from a
grass runway, where both airplanes’ taxis and
rollouts proved to be as solid as they were
predictable. Despite their differences in size
and power, these Texans behave similarly in
flight. I flew the EP ARF, followed by the
nitro version several days later.
The EP aircraft broke ground smoothly
with a slight touch of up-elevator. No more
than a few bumps of down-trim were needed
to get it tracking nicely in the pitch axis. Roll
and yaw seemed fine hands-off, and a few
inside loops into the wind showed me that
there was no need for yaw correction.
The nitro Texan behaved almost identical
to the EP version, with the same smooth
rollout and liftoff, and even greater stability
and groove once airborne.
A Texan is not a wild aerobat, but a good
model AT-6 should be capable of clean and
convincing scale like maneuvering. Both
TWM models do that well. They are highly
convincing in flight and can elevate an
intermediate pilot’s perceived talent status and
self-confidence.
Seventeen-year-old Phillip Adams is the
hotshot 3-D pilot in my neighborhood, and he
was kind enough to join me for a few flights
with both Texans. His talent was essential for
putting the models where I needed them for
my in-flight photographs and to confirm my
positive impressions of their performance.
Furthermore, Phillip tried a few maneuvers
that were outside of my comfort zone, proving
that these ARFs are better suited for
intermediate sport pilots than hot 3-D fliers’
demands.
Inside and outside loops are wide, and the
roll rate is believable at the factoryrecommended
throws. I encourage you to trust
and maintain the recommended throws, even
though they may seem to be somewhat short.
This is a fun-scale warbird, and one of the best
ways to exclude violent snaps from the envelope
is to keep elevator travel under control.
The recommended throws also keep these
70 MODEL AVIATION
models behaving like airplanes, in which
violent maneuvering wouldn’t cause
unconsciousness if living pilots were in the
cockpits. Increasing the rudder might improve
knife-edge flight, which is anything but
appropriate or necessary in a Texan, but it will
surely increase the likelihood of poor handling
on the ground.
I had a lot of fun playing with the split
flaps on the nitro model, which I programmed
to the three-position flap switch on the 12X.
Full up is in the top position, half down (1/2
inch with 5° of down-elevator compensation
in the mix) is in the center position, and fulldown
(1 inch with 10° of down-elevator mix)
is in the down position.
I experimented with these settings at
altitude, finding that slightly more downelevator
was needed to keep the nose level
when the flaps were extended. The flaps are a
nice addition, and they let the Texan leave the
ground in a shorter distance. They also allow
for slow and realistic flypasts and shorter
landing approaches.
Landing these Texans is a pleasure. They
can slow to a crawl without snapping, as long
as you go easy on the elevator.
Once lined up for final approach, set the
models for a low-power glide toward the
runway, using the throttle to bring them up to
the threshold. Get the main wheels on the
ground, reduce power, let the tails drop, and
roll out. Taxi in, shut down, and turn it all off.
You’re home.
It’s good when a model goes together easily
and performs well, and it’s even better when
you get all of that for a reasonable price. These
airplanes meet those conditions, and, as do all
of AirBorne Models’ TWM products, the nitro
and EP Texans’ price tags read low. I think
you will be pleased by how much model you
get for your money. MA
Jeff Troy
[email protected]
Manufacturer/Distributor:
AirBorne Models, LLC
2403 Research Dr.
Livermore CA 94550
(925) 371-0922
www.airborne-models.com
Sources:
Saito, Spektrum, JR, Hangar 9:
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Du-Bro Products, Inc.
(800) 848-9411
www.dubro.com
3M
(888) 364-3577
www.3m.com
W.S. Deans
(714) 828-6494
www.wsdeans.com
Great Planes
(800) 637-7660
www.greatplanes.com
02sig3_00MSTRPG.QXD 12/21/09 11:13 AM Page 70
Edition: Model Aviation - 2010/02
Page Numbers: 66,67,68,69,70
AIRBORNE MODELS in Livermore,
California, is the US distributor for The
World Models (TWM). A subsidiary of Radar
Limited, TWM is one of the leading Asian
producers of top-quality ARFs and
accessories. TWM has developed a reputation
for producing ARFs that have a capacity for
performance, and AirBorne Models sees that
they are offered at prices that American RC
pilots find attractive.
The North American AT-6 Texan
is a popular modeling subject, and
TWM wisely chose to add it to its stable
of World War II fighters. With good
nose and tail moments, plenty of wing
area, and ample control-surface area, this
model has proved to be a good fit for most
intermediate sport and fun-scale fliers.
TWM offers the AT-6 in a 72-inchwingspan
version for glow power and a
44-inch version for electric power. Both come
with a long list of great features, including factorybuilt,
laser-cut wooden airframe components; factorypainted
fiberglass cowls; complete hardware and fastener
packages; and factory-installed, retractable main landing gear.
These Texans are models of full-scale military trainers, but they
are not to be considered primary RC trainers themselves. They are
low-wing, aerobatics-capable airplanes that are best suited for RC
pilots who have experience with at least one or two models.
TWM assumes that those who purchase their AT-6s are RC pilots
who have already built a model or two; therefore, the instruction
manuals rely primarily on diagrams and symbols to guide assembly.
The instructions present no problems unless a rank beginner is
interpreting them, and no rank beginner should be attempting to fly
either of these aircraft.
Both models’ assembly goes quickly because of
their extensive prefabrication. Since these ARFs’
building processes are similar, I’ll provide you with a
simple outline that covers both airplanes.
The larger model requires a four-stroke engine in
the .90-1.00 range, and the EP version is available
with a KM0283010 Brushless Outrunner Motor
and matching HW2340100 propeller adapter
from TWM. I chose the Saito FA-100GK
(Golden Knight) for the nitro-powered Texan
and used the kit-supplied motor for the EP.
I programmed two slots in my 2.4 GHz JR
12X transmitter for these models and then selected suitable onboard
RC gear for both. The nitro AT-6 uses six standard-size servos and
one low-profile retract servo. I filled that bill with six Spektrum
DS821 digital servos and one JR NES-791 180° retract servo. The EP
aircraft needs five microservos, and I picked a set of E-flite S75 units
for the job.
Spektrum handles the receiving end of the signals in these ARFs,
with a seven-channel AR7000 in the nitro Texan and an AR6200 in
the EP. Each receiver is a two-piece combination: the primary
unit with one remote receiver.
I added the appropriate servo extensions and Y
harnesses, along with a JR charge jack switch and a JR
Extra 1800 mAh battery for the nitro model. I
equipped the EP AT-6 with a TWM 20-amp
brushless speed control and 3S 2100 mAh
battery.
The EP airplane comes with a factory-assembled,
one-piece wing, while the nitro version requires that the two tip panels
be installed with 30-minute epoxy on the center-section. In both
models, the aileron and retract servos are the first items to be installed.
Instead of having to drill and mount wooden uprights on the servo
covers, the nitro Texan’s uprights are molded into its plastic covers.
The EP AT-6 gives you a selection of drilled uprights that attach to
the covers with thin CA adhesive.
Both models come with factory-installed,
retractable landing gear, and the pushrods
from the gear to the servos are also factory
installed. Pushrod connectors are provided to
link the rods to the servo output arms, and a
minimal amount of fiddling is needed to get
the linkage adjusted and the gear transitioning
perfectly from lock to lock.
Remember that the retract servos are 180°
units, so the travel adjustments in the
transmitter will have no effect on the servo;
you must get it right at the linkage end. The
S75 servo in my EP Texan is not a 180°
servo, so the travel programming can be used
to perfect the installation.
There are no flaps on the EP model, but
the nitro version is equipped with three-piece
split flaps. They consist of one full-span flap
across the center-section and one flap running
from the root to the inboard end of the aileron
on each of the two tip sections.
A standard servo handles the flap
operation, with a short length of music wire
running between the flaps at the centersection
and each wingtip section. The wires
that connect the flaps between the sections are
free-floating and prevent binding at the
dihedral joints.
The nitro Texan’s tail surfaces are selfaligning.
The one-piece horizontal stabilizer,
with its factory-hinged elevators, is glued into
the recess in the rear of the fuselage. The
rectangular stud on the stabilizer’s fin
mounting area mates with a cavity under the
fin, and the fin’s TE post fits into the recess at
the fuselage tail.
Again, 30-minute epoxy is my adhesive of
choice. I held the fin in position with 3M tape
while the Hangar 9 glue cured.
The EP ARF is slightly different at the tail;
the stabilizer fits into a slot in the rear of the
fuselage. The stabilizer is not self-aligning but
is easy to eyeball if you temporarily attach the
elevator panel. Use the eyeball method for
rough positioning, and finalize it with careful
measuring before securing the stabilizer,
which I did with thin CA.
Instead of the usual music-wire joiner, a
cleverly designed fitting is used to join the
elevator panels. This plastic piece clamps over
each elevator panel and is secured with a
single wood screw on each side. Elevator
control is built into the fitting, which greatly
simplifies the whole procedure.
The EP model’s fin is entirely selfaligning,
with a tab on the bottom that slips
into its respective slot on the fuselage, above
the stabilizer. Now the control surfaces can be
attached with thin CA on the hinges.
With the wings prepared and the tail
surfaces mounted, you can install both AT-6s’
elevator and rudder servos. The nitro version
gets another servo for throttle, while the EP
version gets a TWM 20-amp brushless speed
control.
Nylon guide tubes for the elevator and
rudder pushrods come installed in both
models’ fuselages. Music-wire pushrods run
through the guides. Each rod uses a threaded
nylon clevis at the surface end, and the builder
makes an L-bend at the servo end. A simple
nylon keeper holds the pushrod to the servo
output arm. Everything fits easily in the RC
bay.
The included plastic mount simplifies the
EP Texan’s motor installation. TWM
components do not come with connectors, so
they must be soldered on before installation. I
used W.S. Deans Ultra Connectors for the
battery-to-ESC link and E-flite connectors for
the motor-to-ESC link.
Connect the ESC to the motor, and secure
it to the inside of the fuselage with hook-andloop
strips. Four screws secure the motor to
the mount, and four more screws fasten the
mount to the firewall.
A fully adjustable mount is provided for
the nitro Texan. But instead of merely bolting
the engine over the mount, the power plant’s
mounting lugs are fitted with antivibration
mounts that are, in turn, bolted to the mount.
That is an extra quality touch for an ARF
and is further complemented by the ability to
install the mount to result in an upright,
inverted, or side-mounted engine position. I
chose the latter for three reasons: it keeps the
needle close to the fuel tank level, it keeps the
muffler toward the bottom of the airplane, and
it keeps the glow plug accessible without
having to reach under the model.
Both AT-6s come with factory-painted
fiberglass cowls that closely match the TWM
film covering. No cutting is needed for the EP
airplane’s cowl.
Fitting the nitro cowl is aided by a twopiece,
clear-plastic dummy cowl that lets you
do all the cutting and fitting on a throwaway
part before transferring the marks to the real
cowl. Very nice.
Adding the extra detail parts completes the
models. These include landing gear doors, oil
cooler scoops, and military markings that you
cut from each package’s adhesive-backed
graphics sheet.
A threaded, aluminum spinner cone fits
over the nitro airplane’s crankshaft, and a
folding propeller assembly with a plastic
spinner cone is installed on the EP version’s
propeller adapter. Total assembly time was
less than four hours for the EP AT-6 and
roughly 15 hours for the nitro Texan.
Using a Y connector instead of assigning a
separate channel for each aileron kept
programming time to a minimum with my JR
12X transmitter. I set all control surfaces to
the throws in the manual at high rate, with
25% for my starting rate of exponential.
The 12X has triple-rate elevator, rudder,
and aileron features, so I dropped the mid rate
to 80% and the low rate to 65. I use Great
Planes’ C.G. Machine to set the CG at 76mm
behind the LE for the EP Texan and 135mm
for the nitro AT-6—exactly where the
manuals called it.
Flight: Flying these models is rewarding—
and fun. Takeoff at my local field is from a
grass runway, where both airplanes’ taxis and
rollouts proved to be as solid as they were
predictable. Despite their differences in size
and power, these Texans behave similarly in
flight. I flew the EP ARF, followed by the
nitro version several days later.
The EP aircraft broke ground smoothly
with a slight touch of up-elevator. No more
than a few bumps of down-trim were needed
to get it tracking nicely in the pitch axis. Roll
and yaw seemed fine hands-off, and a few
inside loops into the wind showed me that
there was no need for yaw correction.
The nitro Texan behaved almost identical
to the EP version, with the same smooth
rollout and liftoff, and even greater stability
and groove once airborne.
A Texan is not a wild aerobat, but a good
model AT-6 should be capable of clean and
convincing scale like maneuvering. Both
TWM models do that well. They are highly
convincing in flight and can elevate an
intermediate pilot’s perceived talent status and
self-confidence.
Seventeen-year-old Phillip Adams is the
hotshot 3-D pilot in my neighborhood, and he
was kind enough to join me for a few flights
with both Texans. His talent was essential for
putting the models where I needed them for
my in-flight photographs and to confirm my
positive impressions of their performance.
Furthermore, Phillip tried a few maneuvers
that were outside of my comfort zone, proving
that these ARFs are better suited for
intermediate sport pilots than hot 3-D fliers’
demands.
Inside and outside loops are wide, and the
roll rate is believable at the factoryrecommended
throws. I encourage you to trust
and maintain the recommended throws, even
though they may seem to be somewhat short.
This is a fun-scale warbird, and one of the best
ways to exclude violent snaps from the envelope
is to keep elevator travel under control.
The recommended throws also keep these
70 MODEL AVIATION
models behaving like airplanes, in which
violent maneuvering wouldn’t cause
unconsciousness if living pilots were in the
cockpits. Increasing the rudder might improve
knife-edge flight, which is anything but
appropriate or necessary in a Texan, but it will
surely increase the likelihood of poor handling
on the ground.
I had a lot of fun playing with the split
flaps on the nitro model, which I programmed
to the three-position flap switch on the 12X.
Full up is in the top position, half down (1/2
inch with 5° of down-elevator compensation
in the mix) is in the center position, and fulldown
(1 inch with 10° of down-elevator mix)
is in the down position.
I experimented with these settings at
altitude, finding that slightly more downelevator
was needed to keep the nose level
when the flaps were extended. The flaps are a
nice addition, and they let the Texan leave the
ground in a shorter distance. They also allow
for slow and realistic flypasts and shorter
landing approaches.
Landing these Texans is a pleasure. They
can slow to a crawl without snapping, as long
as you go easy on the elevator.
Once lined up for final approach, set the
models for a low-power glide toward the
runway, using the throttle to bring them up to
the threshold. Get the main wheels on the
ground, reduce power, let the tails drop, and
roll out. Taxi in, shut down, and turn it all off.
You’re home.
It’s good when a model goes together easily
and performs well, and it’s even better when
you get all of that for a reasonable price. These
airplanes meet those conditions, and, as do all
of AirBorne Models’ TWM products, the nitro
and EP Texans’ price tags read low. I think
you will be pleased by how much model you
get for your money. MA
Jeff Troy
[email protected]
Manufacturer/Distributor:
AirBorne Models, LLC
2403 Research Dr.
Livermore CA 94550
(925) 371-0922
www.airborne-models.com
Sources:
Saito, Spektrum, JR, Hangar 9:
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
Du-Bro Products, Inc.
(800) 848-9411
www.dubro.com
3M
(888) 364-3577
www.3m.com
W.S. Deans
(714) 828-6494
www.wsdeans.com
Great Planes
(800) 637-7660
www.greatplanes.com
02sig3_00MSTRPG.QXD 12/21/09 11:13 AM Page 70
